Rest and Relaxation Blues
by StormAshke
Summary: A day in the life during Reconstruction Blues. See how the gang relaxes when the rare opportunity presents itself!


Disclaimer: Don't own them…wish I did. Please don't sue me! That being said this is a simple day in the life piece with no major hassles and only a few minor stretches of the imagination. I'd really like to thank you for taking the time to read this. Please R/R!

This one is dedicated to my new nephew Antonio!

**Rest and Relaxation Blues**

Lisa Hayes watched the unbelievable, the insane, and the totally moronic, unfold before her. The tiny little plane broadcasting its identity on all frequencies buzzed the command center of the SDF-2 for the third time.

"Julie! Warn that idiot off! Tell him, oh never mind! I'll tell him myself!" Lisa snatched up the comm. headset and practically bellowed, "Hunter, get out of military airspace with that…thing! Right now! Don't make me tell you again, Mister!"

"No can do, Captain! Not until you agree to come with me to the party." Rick set his course to buzz the command center for a fourth time. It was almost two years to the day that the SDF-1 defeated Dolza's armada and most of the survivors had dubbed this as "Independence Day." Almost everyone had the day off, as schools closed and businesses shut down. Even the RDF was running a skeleton crew. Admiral Gloval had taken the opportunity to invite his senior staff, both command and flight, to join him for an old- fashioned barbecue. Lisa had made the mistake of declining that invitation.

It was Rick's opinion that Lisa worked too hard and needed to get out and have fun. So when he had arrived at the party and found her absent he had decided to abduct her. For her own good of course.

"Rick, you know I can't just up and leave. The Admiral is counting on me to be here." Lisa punched up the video link so she they could see each other as they talked. Video communication was one of the new features of the Mockingbird II, as Rick was calling that absurd little plane. She almost laughed when she saw he was wearing his old racing flight suit. The orange and black making him look like some kind of Halloween icon.

"Lisa, if the Admiral wanted you on the bridge he wouldn't have invited you to the cookout." Rick put the Mockingbird into a dive and pulled up at the very last moment. He could hear the bridge crew muttering in the background.

Caught! She was completely flabbergasted and had no retort. She watched him dip and dive, making passes at the bridge and basically showing off. And besides, here he was, basically asking her to go with him. Why was she making this so difficult on herself? As if the thought of an afternoon alone with her friends and with Rick wasn't an appealing idea.

"C'mon, Captain! I'm prepared to stay out here all afternoon, y'know." Rick smirked as he saw Lisa's frown over the comm. link.

Julie wasn't part of the Terrible Trio but she had gotten to know them over the past six months. She didn't know the Captain that well, but she thought that maybe Captain Hunter had something of a point. It was hard for any of the second-shifters to get any real experience with the Captain around.

"Captain, I'm sure it would be ok for you to take the day off. We know how to reach you if we need to," Julie ventured, stuttering to a halt as the Captain's eyes shot daggers at her.

"Lisa! Come hang out with us today!" Rick wheedled. "Don't make me come up there and club you over the head and drag you off to the cave!" Rick winked at her.

In the end, it was that wink that did her in. Lisa found herself agreeing to go with Rick to the Admiral's house and twenty minutes later she was looking dubiously at the Mockingbird II. There was only one seat.

"Rick, really I'll just drive myself over there." Lisa's voice was doubtful.

"Nonsense! There's plenty of room for you up here and it'll only take us five minutes to fly. It would take you at least a half an hour to drive over there today. Besides it wouldn't be the first time I've flown with a passenger on my lap!" Rick stood up and stretched out his hand to help her up into the cockpit.

At first, she thought he was referring to Minmei and she was about to tell him to shove his invitation up his fanjet when she realized he was talking about their flight from the doomed Alaska base. She felt the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile.

"I am not going to a cookout dressed in my uniform, Rick!" Lisa finally replied, allowing him to help her into the cockpit and onto his lap. "We'll have to go my quarters first."

Rick chuckled into her shoulder as he lowered the canopy and prepared to take off. Sometimes, Lisa was very much like any other woman he had known.

"No problem at all. Do they allow fanjet parking on your street?" he quipped.

Claudia was sitting with Admiral Gloval on a picnic bench sipping lemonade and watching the clouds when she saw him. The red and yellow racer came flying through the clouds and executed a perfect landing in the street in front of the house. She saw the canopy pop open and a slim figure emerge.

"Oh my god, he did it!" Claudia called to the other guests now gathering on the lawn to greet the late arrivals. "Well, hi there. How on earth did he get you out of that command center?" Claudia greeted, hugging her friend. "I'm glad you're here, honey!"

"Let's just say he can be very stubborn," Lisa answered with a hint of mischievousness.

"Ha! I prefer charming," Rick said walking up to greet them, having stowed his flight suit in the plane for the festivities. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white T-shirt. Lisa had chosen to wear a pair of black shorts and a baby blue polo shirt. Rick noticed that her shorts showed off quite a pair of legs. Graceful yet athletic. This wasn't the first time he was caught off guard by how attractive Lisa was. He was startled as he realized he was giving her the once-over in front of Claudia.

"Hey there, Flyboy. No hello for me?" Claudia teased, as she saw Rick eye Lisa up and down. Well, that was a positive sign. It was also a great sign that it was Rick who insisted that Lisa must be persuaded to join them. For Lisa's part, she seemed slightly flustered now that she was actually here.

He turned and hugged Claudia, "I always have a hello for you, Claudia." Rick answered warmly.

"Rick, I believe you said you wanted to do the grilling today, yes?" Admiral Gloval gestured to the grill and the pile of meat waiting to be cooked. "Perhaps now would be a good time to begin, while we are all still young enough to have all of our own teeth!"

There were whistles and catcalls as Rick scrubbed his had through his hair. "Alright, alright!" he shouted to quiet them down. He walked over to the grill and began to cook.

As he worked, he watched all of his friends relax and take time just to be together. Repeatedly, his eyes were drawn back to Lisa. She was relaxing now, with Claudia and the trio. He watched her smile and laugh. It was good to see some of that lasting tension she had around her shoulders ease. She needed to get out more. They all worked too damned hard.

He was drawn back to the world around him when he realized the flames on the grill had reached roughly the height of the moon and that the chicken was burning black before him.

"Damn!" Quickly, he reached in with tongs to try to rescue the wings. But all he managed to do was burn his wrist in the process.

Alerted by his quick shout of pain, Lisa and Claudia rushed towards him.

"What did you do, Rick?" Lisa took his forearm and turned his wrist up so she could see the reddening burn. She didn't think it would blister but it must have been painful. "Sammie, bring me some ice from the cooler. Vanessa, go out to the Mockingbird, I noticed a first aid kit under the seat. Does it have anything we can use in it, Rick?" Lisa looked up and found his bright blue eyes watching her, even though he winced with pain, he seemed almost amused.

"Um, yeah, it has gauze and cream. Things like that, I think." Rick was amazed at how quickly Lisa took control of the situation. Even over something as minor as this she couldn't help but be a leader. He could feel her gently holding his wrist and the relief as the pain left him made him sigh. She was pressing the ice against his wrist and looking at him with big, round, worried eyes.

"Are you ok, hotshot?" Lisa leaned towards him and asked quietly, as Vanessa arrived with the kit.

"Yeah, just annoyed at myself. It was a dumb thing to do."

Green eyes sparkled. "Yes, it most certainly was! What is it about men, Claudia? Leave them alone near an open flame and something like this always happens."

"Hey, it's not my fault I was distracted! I saw, a, um, I saw, something that's all," he defended as Claudia chuckled.

"Well, I'd say you're off grill duty for now, honey. Come back and have a seat. I'll bandage you right up." Claudia winked and led Rick back to the table. "It's probably better if we let the Admiral do the cooking anyway!"

"Quite right, Claudia." Gloval concurred as he picked up the tongs and spatula. "I should like the food to be edible, not charcoal!" The party-goers erupted in good-natured laughter as the walking wounded was led away.

____________

Rick was busily trying to balance three plates while standing in line to grab food. He had offered to get Lisa something to eat and then at the last moment he had thought to offer to get something for Claudia, too. He didn't want Lisa to think he was hitting on her or anything.

He was juggling two bowls of salad, three bottles of beer, and three full plates including corn on the cob when he felt himself begin to lose his balance.

"Easy there, Skipper!" a familiar voice called from his left. Max grabbed the beer and salad and Mirya stood ready to rescue the plates as she was holding Dana in one arm.

"Thanks, Max. I thought I was gonna lose it there!" Together, Skull Wing made their way back to the table where Rick passed around the plates.

"I have to admit, Rick, I didn't think you were going to make it back in one piece," Lisa goaded.

"It helps to always have a good set of wingmen with a mission like that one, Captain!" He softened his words by sticking his tongue out at her.

"That is no way to treat a superior officer! Besides, if you do that too often your tongue will get stuck like that," Lisa shot back, grinning, and taking a pull on her beer.

Rick laughed and saluted her with his bottle as he settled in to eat. He watched his friends try to feed little Dana and marveled at how something as small as she was could create such a ruckus. Max was trying to give her some mashed-up vegetable concoction while Mirya held Dana relatively still on her lap. Meanwhile, both of their meals were getting cold. He couldn't help but grin as ACE Veritech fighter jocks constantly missed the target. Puree was everywhere except in Dana's mouth. Max had some on his shoes and Mirya had some on her shirt and pants. Dana had it in her hair.

"Here, why don't you two let me give it a try?" Lisa asked softly. "That way you two can at least eat something hot!"

Max decided at that moment, Lisa Hayes was destined for sainthood.

"That would be wonderful Lisa; but Maximilian and I have discovered it usually takes the both of us to feed her. She is extremely cunning when she does not want to eat," Mirya confided, adjusting the little girl on her lap as Dana turned her head away from the spoon yet again.

"That's ok, guys. I'll give Lisa a hand," Rick said as he stood up and reached for the little girl. "Ok, Lisa, you wanna hold her and I'll do the spoon thing?"

"Like I trust you not to get that stuff all over me! Nuh uh, you hold her!" Lisa answered with a wicked grin. An instant later, Lisa regretted it as Dana spewed orange puree at her. The entire table broke up in laughter again as Lisa dabbed ineffectually at her shirt. Ruefully, she could see the joke.

"I can see you didn't inherit your parents' respect of authority." Lisa wrinkled her nose as the baby giggled at her.

Rick was laughing with the rest of them but secretly he was rather surprised at how well Lisa was taking the dousing. Minmei would have been screaming about her outfit being ruined by now.

"Ok, you've had your fun. You hold her! I'm going in," Rick said, passing off the little girl. Lisa watched him with a bemused smile as he began making faces at Dana and talking in baby talk.

"Ok, we aren't gonna spit this nasty stuff on Uncle Ricky are we? Nope, we are going to just open wide eat it all up!"

"Ricky?" Lisa snickered as Claudia laughed so hard, she had tears rolling down her face. The Sterlings were just as amused but were more concerned with eating a hot meal than poking fun at Rick.

"Aha!" Rick cried in victory as the baby swallowed the first bite he offered her. Turning to Lisa he said, "See, you just gotta speak their language. Kids are great but it's all in knowing how to talk to…" He was cut off as Dana, happy to have someone playing with her, flailed her arms wildly and managed to knock Rick's plate into his lap.

Twenty minutes later, with their mission finally accomplished Rick and Lisa were trying to wash up in the Admiral's kitchen. Both of them were amused at the other's appearance.

"Well, I have to say Lisa; orange is definitely your color." Rick smirked as she tried to wash out the stains with hot water and dish soap and only succeeded in making wet spots on her shirt.

"Yes, well I must say I prefer the scent of barbecue sauce to that cologne you usually wear, flyboy!" Lisa retorted, grinning to take the sting out of her words.

Secretly, Rick agreed with her. The cologne had been a gift from Minmei the Christmas before. He only wore it out of loyalty.

"Ok, I guess we both got it good." Rick conceded after another moment.

"Yeah, we did. But at least it was fun." Lisa moved away from the sink to allow Rick to try to do something to his own stains. "Rick, I just wanted to thank you for making me come today. I don't think I realized how badly I needed a break. You know me, full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. I sometimes forget to stop and take a breath every now and then."

"Aw, it's no problem. We all really wanted you here today. It wouldn't be half as much fun if you weren't here," he said sincerely.

Lisa felt herself flush with his compliment. The more time they spent together the more she knew why it was that she had fallen for this man. Even if he was clueless.

"I just wish you knew some magic way to get stains out of khaki. These were new!" Rick grimaced when he realized he was making more of a mess than Dana had.

"I'll tell you what; I'll swing by your house tomorrow and see what I can do," Lisa offered, amazed at her own boldness.

"That would be great, Lisa! I never did learn much about all that household stuff. It was just me, Pops, and Roy for so long." His voice trailed off at the mention of his lost "big brother."

Lisa moved forward and laid her hand on his arm. "Well, you've had a quite a day today, Mister Hunter. You've kidnapped your CO, burned yourself and managed to wear half a bottle of barbecue sauce. What's next on your agenda?" she teased, hoping to stave off the grim mood he was getting himself into.

Rick glanced out the window and saw the Admiral and Max setting up a net.

"Volleyball?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

"They ain't got nothing on us!" Rick catcalled across the net. He was teamed with Claudia, Max and Lisa. While across the net, they faced the Terrible Trio teamed with Mirya. Admiral Gloval was refereeing the match while Dana napped on the sidelines. The three Zentradei refugees comprised the spectators and were applauding loudly and cheering the trio.

"Is that why they're beating us by three, Skipper?" Max pointed out.

Rick shot a poisonous glance at his best friend and failed to notice Sammie serve the ball.

"Heads up, hotshot!" Lisa called, nudging him out of the way to return the serve. Rick wondered why the side where she bumped him was tingling. He didn't get too long to think about it when he saw Mirya drive an overhand smash at Max.

His wingman decided that discretion was the better part of valor and quickly leapt out of the way. Not many people really knew how strong his wife was. He wasn't taking any chances.

"Nice return there!" the trio teased as Gloval retrieved the ball and set up for another service.

"I try to get outta the way of incoming fire!" Max replied.

"Time out!" Rick called as he motioned his team together for a huddle. Lisa was on his right and Max on his left. "Ok guys lean in." He put his arm across Lisa's shoulders and across Max's in the traditional huddle pose. "We're getting slaughtered," he stated.

"Nice grasp of the obvious, Rick. And they made you a captain and everything?" Lisa teased.

"Yeah all the spots for Captain Sourpuss's were filled," he shot back at her, grinning.

"Ok you two, enough of that. We need a plan! Someone has to block Mirya!" Claudia lamented.

"Oh no you don't!" she cried a moment later when all eyes turned on her. "Mama Grant didn't raise a walking target!"

"Claudia, you're the tallest. It really is our best strategy so far," Lisa said with her best persuasive smile.

"Besides you're the most athletic and the strongest and…." Rick said, chiming in on Lisa's side. Only half his mind was on the game, the other half was concentrating on Lisa's hand that was rubbing small circles on his back. He realized the day was a lot warmer than he thought.

Claudia groaned and covered her face with her palm. "Fine, but if I die I am so haunting you Rick Hunter! And Lisa don't think I wont be after you either!" she scolded when she saw Lisa pump her fist in victory.

"One sec, guys, I'll be right there." Rick pulled off his shirt and made his way back to the line bare-chested. He didn't notice Lisa's jaw drop. He had a nicely toned, shaped, lean physique that was not overly muscled.

"Lisa!" Rick shouted, pulling her out of her daze just in time to see the ball land square at her feet for game point.

Across the net the other team erupted with much back slapping and cat-calling to the losers.

"Sorry guys. I didn't mean to let you down."

"Nothing to be sorry about. It's just a game after all," Claudia soothed. She had seen Lisa's eyes when Rick removed his shirt and knew what had distracted her friend. Still, she didn't want Lisa to be embarrassed.

"Yeah, we really didn't have much of a hope anyway," Rick concluded with a grin. "Remind me to pick Mirya next time instead of Max!" Rick teased, slapping Max on the back.

It was evening now and most of Gloval's guests were around his fire pit playfully roasting marshmallows. Rick was sitting on the ground in front of the pit with Claudia and Lisa beside him.

"Now see, the important part here is to know when exactly the right time is to pull your marshmallow," Rick was saying as Lisa and Claudia shot sarcastic smiles to each other over his head. _Men_, they were thinking.

"You don't say," Lisa said, gently mocking him. Sometimes, Rick could be a real chauvinist. But still he was getting better.

"Oh yeah. You don't want to eat it before its all gooey inside," Rick replied. "Now! It's perfect. Here just to prove my point, Lisa, you can have this perfectly toasted specimen." He gently pulled apart the marshmallow to reveal its melting center and carefully blew on it to cool it slightly.

Before Lisa could object he was feeding her the sticky treat.

"Now go ahead and tell me that's not the best you've ever had, Captain."

Lisa nodded her head as she finally managed to swallow the gooey candy. "I gotta say, Rick I was skeptical but that was pretty good! I didn't know you could cook."

"Oh yeah. When I was younger it was mostly just us guys. You know, me and Pops and Roy. So while I was still too young to work in the circus I'd have to take care of myself. So if there was something I wanted to eat I had to learn how to make it."

"You told me you weren't any good at household things," Lisa reminded him.

"Yeah but I don't include cooking in that. I mean cleaning, ironing, mending, laundry. Making beds. But cooking is kinda fun. I tell you what. You help me get the stains out of these shorts and I'll make you dinner tomorrow night and show you what I mean." Rick was shocked at the words coming out of his mouth. Had he just invited Lisa to have dinner with him? At his house? Where he lived?

Lisa blinked. Had she heard him correctly? "Sure, Rick. I'd like that," she said shyly and was rewarded when she saw Rick smile sweetly back at her. Neither of them noticed when Claudia quietly got up to get a refill and leave the two of them alone.

Someone had thought to bring a radio and there was music being played over on the concrete patio where the Admiral had old-fashioned torches for lighting. The patio was being turned into an impromptu dance floor as the trio dragged the three Zentradei refugees out and tried to teach them how to slow dance. A moment later they were joined by Max and Mirya.

Rick was drinking a beer and sitting with Lisa talking about nothing in particular when he saw her glance at the "dance floor." Rather longingly he thought. Whatever it was, he had never seen that soft faraway look in her eyes before. He felt a thump from the vicinity of his heart. Another look at her and his mind was made up as he stood holding his hand out to her.

"Dance with me?" he asked simply. He watched an incredibly bright and happy smile grace her face as she stood and accepted his hand.

"Thank you, Rick. It's been a long time though so watch your toes!" she cautioned. She was teasing him to cover her nervousness. Usually, she loved to dance. It didn't matter what the music was she could find the beat and move to it with ease. But she wasn't so sure tonight. Not with Rick as her partner.

"Oh, I think you'll be fine. Hey, would you look at that!" Rick exclaimed, nodding towards the patio where Claudia had joined the dance with the Admiral as her partner.

"Well, let's not be the only ones not out there." Lisa laughed as she led Rick to the dance floor.

Rick stopped for a minute to catch the beat and then he took Lisa in his arms. A moment later and they moving together with the music.

"Hey, Lisa! What are you talking about? You're really good." He meant what he said. She was light on her feet and moved well. She also was one of those dancers who could let her partner lead without trying to do so herself. That surprised him. Lisa was not a follower by nature.

"You're not so bad yourself, flyboy," Lisa answered smiling up into his eyes. She allowed herself a rare indulgence and laid her head against his chest as she moved slightly closer to him. Rick responded by tightening his hold on her.

Claudia watched as her two good friends danced together and found herself smiling.

"So Claudia, do you think those two will ever figure out how to make it work between them?"

Startled, Claudia looked up into laughing brown eyes as Gloval maneuvered them around the floor. She didn't know why she was surprised that the enigmatic man knew what the gossip going around the bridge was but she was.

"I hope so, Admiral. I dearly hope so," Claudia replied as she watched the handsome couple across the floor.

"Well, it's 2200 hours. I guess I'll be heading out. I've got the early shift tomorrow morning," Claudia said, standing up and stretching as she reached over to hug Lisa. The trio had taken over the duty of "cleaning" the backyard so that the Admiral could relax. But from the look of things the Admiral would have been happier to have done it himself. Currently, Vanessa was balancing a stack of empty bottles while Kim was gathering up all the trash, leaving Sammie to fold the chairs up. It looked like a recipe for disaster.

"You be careful, Claudia. Are you sure you don't want me to walk with you?" Lisa asked uncertainly as Claudia shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine, honey. You don't stay out too late and I'll see you in the morning! Goodnight, Rick!"

"Be careful, Claud. Don't worry, I'll take Lisa home," Rick called after her.

"I never doubted it, hotshot!" Claudia tossed over her shoulder and winked.

"Sometimes I don't understand that woman," Rick announced to no one in particular. "Are you ready to head out?" he asked.

"Oh, I suppose so but you really don't have to take me home, Rick. It's late you and you must be exhausted. Besides, I know you have to go back to wherever it is that you store that…thing of yours and then drive yourself home. You don't need to worry about me."

"Nonsense! Roy always taught me to escort a lady home. It's no trouble. Please, I'd like to," he said, catching her hand gently tugging her towards his beloved racer. "I don't have to report in tomorrow anyway. It's no inconvenience to me," he said shrugging it off.

"Ok then, if you're sure it won't be any trouble," Lisa answered softly as he led her towards the plane.

Once they were settled in the cockpit and they were airborne, Rick cleared his throat to get her attention. "Lisa, what do you have against the Mockingbird?"

Lisa was startled by the question but even more by how soft and hurt his voice sounded. "Why, what do you mean, Rick?" she said trying to buy herself some time.

"Well, let's just say you haven't really hidden your distaste for it. I'm just wondering why. I mean is it because it's a racer? Or because it's not super sophisticated like the Veritechs. I mean, it may be no great feat of Robotech engineering but I'm still pretty proud of it."

Lisa hung her head. She hadn't realized how much her teasing was bothering him. "It's nothing like that, Rick. It's just…" She stopped and started chewing her bottom lip. Rick waited patiently, recognizing that expression as the one she wore when she was trying to figure out how to say a particular thing. "I think it's because of how I associate you in this plane. When you're flying Skull One, I know that even though we may disagree, that you really are a sensible professional that I can eventually reason with. When I see you here in this plane, I'm reminded of how we met." She grinned sarcastically.

"And you see a young, arrogant, stunt-flyer playing in a situation that's too much for him to handle? Is that it?" Rick asked, his voice becoming slightly colder.

"No, that's not it. I see a young man with incredible talent who called me "old" and wouldn't listen to a word I said to him" Lisa blurted out, startled into pure honesty.

She felt Rick stiffen in surprise. "I like the professional relationship we've built Rick and I've really come to like and respect you as...a…a…friend. I'd hate to see that change. But I really don't dislike Mockingbird, at all. Not really. I was really impressed when Claudia told me you'd rebuilt her." She felt him relax when her explanation sunk in.

"Lisa, I really like the way things are between us now too. Thanks for explaining. You're opinion means a lot to me you know." Rick smiled as he felt her shift on his lap, drawing back to look in his eyes.

"Good then can I give you my opinion on something else?" Lisa asked, her eyes dancing playfully. "Get rid of that orange flight suit! It's so not your color!"

Together, they laughed as Rick brought Mockingbird in to land on Lisa's street.

Later that evening as she fell asleep Lisa thought over her day. She felt that she and Rick had grown closer and that could only be for the good as far as she was concerned. He had even opened up to her regarding Mockingbird. She hadn't expected that at all. Rick was really beginning to mature.

Her last thought before tumbling into dreams was that maybe she should stop by his place a little more often.

Several blocks over, Rick was finally settling in after returning Mockingbird to the hangar. He was really glad to know that Lisa respected the little plane. He was irrationally proud of his little fanjet racer. But part of him wondered why it was that he craved Lisa's approval. Even when he had built the original racer he had rarely cared what others thought of the snub nosed design. He knew what that plane could do and that was all that mattered.

Except it wasn't. It mattered to him more and more what Lisa thought about things that were related to him. And he found that while he wondered how that had happened he wasn't displeased that it had.

As he lay down and got ready to sleep he found himself hoping that Lisa would make good on her promise of earlier that day and come by to see him. It had been a great relaxing day with his friends. He hadn't even missed Minmei. Much.

Still, he thought just before sleep claimed him for the night, the entire crew of SDF-1 could use more rest and relaxation during this time of reconstruction blues.


End file.
